More time jumping, but this time is back to the past with a catch up review. This particular post focuses on Lee Eun Sang’s solo comeback Lemonade, which was released at the start of September. Lemonade is featured on his second single album, titled Beautiful Sunshine. It is also the first comeback by the soloist since his solo debut with Beautiful Scar last year, which also featured fellow labelmate Park Woojin (from AB6IX).

To me, Lemonade is another song that I would describe as pleasant at best. I think if I had sat down and reviewed the song when it first came out, I would have raved about its pleasantness and calming nature in a positive light. But now that the song has aged a few weeks, I feel like whatever effect that Lemonade was intended to have on the listener has fizzled out. Think of a flat lemonade soda, this is what Lemonade now feels like. This doesn’t make Lemonade a terrible song in my point of view, rather it just didn’t hold its ground. Vocally, I thought there was a degree of sweetness in this element. And while I am convinced that sweetness is still present, I do think Lee Eun Sang’s vocals would have been more appealing had there be some insertion of personality (I felt the same way about Beautiful Scar). They felt typical and lacked much energy. Similarly, the same could be said with the instrumentation. Initially, I would describe Lemonade‘s backing as bubbly. But now that I think about it. more vibrancy in the consistent strumming we hear in the chorus would have emphasised this. I did like the synth drums, as they did add some flair, but it was not enough to really consolidate and concentrate the vibrancy. Hook-wise and melody-wise, I think Lemonade still had these elements come through as I do remember them more somewhat compared to the rest of the song, but had the vocals and instrumental been more so what I mentioned above, I am sure the hook/melodies of Lemonade would have been enhanced. So overall, more could have been done to really help Lemonade become and stay appealing.

Concept wise, this is 180 degree flip in terms of concept when we compare Lee Eun Sang’s two solo works. Here, Lee Eun Sang looks much more youthful and the concept is a lot more casual and brighter. It fits the Summer season quite nicely and works well with the song. Unfortuately, I didn’t see anything special within this music video. And honestly, I haven’t gone back to watch it since it was first released. I personally prefer the more mature side of Lee Eun Sang and thought his last solo music video was a lot more interesting to watch.

The performance is more so the same as the music video in terms of concept. It fits well with the song. But like the music video, I didn’t see anything special within the performance (though I did like the squeezing move they had in the chorus). That being said, I did think there was added layer of vibrancy in the choreography, which pulled me towards the performances, rather than the music video.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5.7/10